Victims Rescued Alive in Nepal Floods

Two people who had been trapped in mud for nearly 10 days following devastating flash floods in Nepal were rescued alive on Saturday. A rescue team found 60 year old Chandrika Shrestha unconscious and trapped in mud on the fourth floor of a four storey building in Bidur town. In another rescue operation, a Chinese worker trapped 225 metres inside a tunnel at the Trishuli 1 hydropower project was safely brought out on Saturday afternoon.

Two other people trapped at the Trishuli hydropower project had been rescued alive on Friday. The flash floods that struck Nepal on August 26 have reportedly claimed more than 1,300 lives, while around 5,000 people remain missing. Officials estimate that more than 500 workers may have been inside the tunnels of the Trishuli hydropower project when the disaster occurred.

Authorities said DNA samples were collected from 1,030 unidentified bodies before they were buried. So far, samples have reportedly been collected from 1,260 bodies, with DNA samples from relatives of 1,012 victims also obtained for identification. Meanwhile, Reguri Vinay Reddy from Mamunur in Warangal district, who had travelled to Mansarovar on behalf of the Isha Foundation, remains missing after being caught in the floods. Vinay, an IT professional settled in Canada, has not yet been traced.